It's Not Over Yet | Pastor Daniel Groves | Hope City

Hebrews 11:1 puts faith on the table right away as “the substance of things hoped for” and “the evidence of things not yet seen.” Faith does not play pretend with reality. Faith looks at what is dry, dead, and done, and still believes God can breathe again.

Ezekiel 37 opens with a priest turned prophet standing in the wreckage of exile. Jerusalem had been devastated, the temple had been destroyed, and God’s people felt like their story was over. The valley of dry bones shows a people physically displaced and spiritually depleted. The bones were not just dead, they were “dead dead,” very dry, wrapped up, walked away from, and seemingly beyond repair.

God does not take Ezekiel around the bones. God leads him back and forth through the middle of them. The valley matters because revival is not pretending dead things do not exist. Revival is watching God breathe on what everybody else already buried. When people see an ending, God sees the beginning.

The Lord asks, “Can these bones live?” The question is not about what Ezekiel sees, but what Ezekiel believes. Faith refuses to let visible reality have the final word because the great Physician, provider, protector, and Lord Almighty still speaks. God asks for faith before breath comes, and obedience looks ridiculous before it looks miraculous.

The plant in the house becomes a picture of the soul. The plant was not dead, it was disconnected from what gave it life. A life may not need a new job, another relationship, or a different circumstance as much as it needs reconnection to the source. John 15:5 names Jesus as the vine, and fruit follows connection.

The valley also exposes the danger of slow drifting. The enemy rarely destroys people overnight. He dries them out over time, one ordinary day at a time. Familiarity can make worship feel common, prayer feel repetitive, and the fire of God feel normal enough to miss.

The breath of God is the difference between structure and life. Bones can come together, muscles can form, skin can cover, and the body can still be lifeless without breath. Churches can have talent, production, crowds, and activity, but without the Spirit, it is just noise. Revival does not start with a crowd. Revival starts with one surrendered person saying, “Lord, revive me.”

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Dead things are not final [10:21] The valley of dry bones does not get to define the future of God’s people. What looks buried, done, and too far gone is still within reach of the God who breathes life. Faith does not deny how dry the bones are, but faith refuses to agree that dryness is the end of the story. [10:21]
• 2. Connection keeps the soul alive [16:03] The drooping plant was not replaced, renamed, or relocated into a better life plan. It needed water, sun, and reconnection to what gave it life. The soul can chase new circumstances while quietly starving for the source, and John 15 names that source clearly as Jesus. [16:03]
• 3. Valleys form surrendered dependence [23:55] The valley strips away the illusion that self sufficiency can carry the weight of life. The mountaintop may display God’s goodness, but the valley forms what God later reveals. A low place is not automatically punishment, because God often prepares privately what He intends to use publicly. [23:55]
• 4. Obedience becomes God’s runway [28:56] Ezekiel had to speak before anything changed, which means obedience came before the evidence. God often asks for a step that looks strange before the miracle looks obvious. The mouth can partner with death or life, and faith learns to speak what God says over what circumstances suggest. [28:56]
• 5. Revival needs breath, not polish [36:18] Structure is not the same thing as life, and activity is not the same thing as anointing. A church can have talent, crowds, music, and systems while still needing the breath of God. The deepest need is not more polish, but the Spirit breathing fresh fire into surrendered people.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:30] - New Beginnings and July Salvations
• [01:36] - Faith Is Substance and Evidence
• [03:14] - Ezekiel’s Exile and Dry Bones
• [06:04] - The Valley Full of Very Dry Bones
• [10:21] - It Is Not Over Yet
• [13:14] - The Enemy Dries People Out
• [16:03] - Disconnected From the Source
• [17:52] - God Breathes in the Valley
• [22:16] - God Leads Into Valleys
• [27:25] - Faith Before the Breath
• [30:21] - Revival Is Resurrection
• [34:13] - The Church Needs God’s Breath
• [41:24] - Revive Me Prayer
• [43:16] - Salvation and Rededication Invitation

Bible Reading

Hebrews 11:1
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” [00:01:43]

Ezekiel 37:1-14
“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ And I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’ Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’ So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.’ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.” Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.’” [00:06:18]

John 15:5
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

Observation questions

1. In Ezekiel 37, what details show just how hopeless the valley looked before God moved? [00:06:31]
2. What does God tell Ezekiel to do before the bones live again, and in what order do the changes happen in the passage?
3. In John 15:5, what picture does Jesus use to describe the relationship between Himself and His people, and what happens apart from Him? [00:16:03]
4. What are some signs of slow spiritual drifting that can show up before someone realizes they feel dry or disconnected? [00:13:29]

Interpretation questions

1. God asks, “Can these bones live?” before anything changes. What does that question reveal about the kind of faith God is drawing out of Ezekiel, and why does that matter when a situation looks done? [00:27:25]
2. Ezekiel is led through the middle of the valley, not around it. What might that show about how God works in painful or discouraging seasons? [00:22:16]
3. The bones come together and take shape, but there is still no life until breath enters them. What does that say about the difference between outward structure and true spiritual life? [00:30:21]
4. A plant can look like it is dying when it is really disconnected from what gives it life. How does that image help explain spiritual dryness in a believer’s life? [00:16:03]

Application questions

1. What is one area of life right now that feels like “very dry bones” to you—marriage, joy, prayer, calling, family, hope, or something else? What has made that area feel dry? [00:10:21]
2. Slow drifting usually happens one ordinary day at a time. If that is true, what small habits or patterns have been quietly draining your spiritual life lately? [00:13:33]
3. Jesus says that apart from Him we can do nothing. Where have you been tempted to look for life in a new circumstance instead of deeper connection to Jesus? [00:16:27]
4. Valleys can strip away self-sufficiency and form dependence on God. In this season, where is God exposing the limits of your own strength, and how are you responding to that? [00:23:40]
5. Obedience often looks strange before it looks fruitful. Is there a step of obedience you already know you need to take, even though you have not yet seen any evidence it will help? [00:28:56]
6. Life and death are carried in the tongue. What have you been speaking over your life lately—defeat, cynicism, fear, or faith? What would it look like to start speaking in line with God’s word this week? [00:29:49]
7. Revival does not start with polish but with surrendered people asking God to breathe again. What would “Lord, revive me” need to mean in a very practical way for you this week? [00:41:16]